Family History

One of my biggest regrets in life was that I didn't remember all of the stories and things that my Grandmother told me.  She passed away while I was a preteen, and although she often told me stories about herself, I don't recall many.  The ones from my Grandfather are even foggier, since he died 2 years before she did, and always seemed 'older' than she was.  He was of course, but even in old age people can just have 'old people personalities'.  Now that I am in my mid thirties, I really would give just about anything to sit down and have a conversation with my grandparents and have all of my questions answered.

My dad's side of the family is just as bad.  My grandmother is suffering from altzheimer's disease, and barely remembers anyone, much less any details about her family or childhood.  At least, I remember a touch more from her stories than my mother's family.  Possibly because my NeNe (my dad's mom) ALWAYS told us stories about her family, and did so up until she began to loose her memory.  I was in my mid 20's by then.

I have been working on documenting my family history ever since I had my first child.  I never wanted him to feel the way I did, or to have the questions I had.

This past Christmas, I put together a family history album for my grandparents about their families.  It was a simple plan.  I wanted to highlight the family as it stand right now.  My grandparents, all of their children, their grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well as their siblings and parents.

I wanted to make the family history come alive for anyone who read it.  I wanted to make it enjoyable and easy to understand, and I wanted to be able to included photographs and documents that detailed the family.
I plotted for over a year trying to figure out how to lay it out.

What I decided to do was feature a main page with an overview of the tree.  I wanted to show both my grandfather LOU and my grandmother JENNIE and their parents and siblings as well as their children and their children's children.  I was thinking of a bowtie tree with siblings listed to the side but I wanted this to be an overview.  With photos and lines only.

It was the beginning of a good plan.  I planned out the rest of the album and decided that the next pages would include a dual page layout of my grandparents, and on that page, I would include smaller photos of thier children (as children).  Each of the pages after that would be of the Childen as adults.... with their children photos smaller on that page.  Followed by pages of the grandchildren (with their children if applicable).

I searched for scrapbook templates to make this easier, since a template and a repetitive layout and style will make for a more cohesive look to the finished project.  Once I found one I created a plan of the pages.

I used google docs to make a plan of the pages, and was able to add scans of things I had found to show the quick plan better.  For instance, I bought some of the Ancestry Pedigree charts and Family Group sheets at a local store and scanned images of them in, so I could plot out how it would turn out.

On the 'Coming To America' page, I wanted to use some file folders to keep an immigration file for each family.  I kept the album interactive by making a place for these file folders to pull out and be read when desired.  I also wanted to include all of the census records that mentioned direct ancestors, so I printed them off and highlighted our family then put them in a flip book style layout.  I provided translations of the census information for ease of reading (instead of writing Doe, Jon Jacob, m, s, 48, farmer, Illinois I would write Jon Jacob Doe was a Single male residing in Illinois during the 1900 census.  He was 48 years old having been born in XXXX in Michigan)  (I just made all that up, so my apologies if you are searching for information about Jon Jacob Doe from Illinois and stumble on this page!)  I found quite a few newspaper clippings that I was able to copy and I wanted to include these marriage announcements, obituaries, and stories of interest as well.

After collecting all my supplies, and hounding my family for old photos,  I set off to work.  And as the saying goes THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEN... OFTEN GO A-WRY.  I was off to a great start, but it didn't come together the way I had hoped.  I winged it, and made some changes based on what photos I had. And I put together an awesome album.

Everyone enjoyed it, and I have a few good ideas for how to put one together for my own children.